I don't know about RSP outfits, but you generally aren't "assigned" battle buddies in your unit. And you don't always need one. It's more common in the earlier days of your career (boot camp obviously, since you'll have a bunkmate). Depending on the situation, your chain of command may prefer it since obviously 2 heads are better than one and if it is for a task, it will likely get done quicker. But I wouldn't get into the mindset that it's a permanent thing by any means.

The military values independence/intelligence/maturity as much as it does teamwork.

I understand what you're saying and you're right. We aren't assigned a specific battle buddy per se.

I thought Battle Buddies were 'assigned'? I understand the concept of not going anywhere alone but I did not realize that you could just grab someone and designate them you 'buddy' and vice versa?

In my detachment, any two people can pair up to accomplish whatever task needs to get done. Just don't get caught walking around by yourself or suffer the consequences. Again, this is what happens in my RSP detachment. For example, in my detachment, if a person has to go to the letrine they can ask anyone standing next to them to go with them--it doesn't have to be a specific person.

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Got my CAC card two weeks after I enlisted. Found my DEERS site through the RAPIDS locator. I've already been using it to get the military discounts at restaurants, auto parts stores and of course the movies. There's a website that shows you all the businesses that offer military discounts.

Now what is DEERS and RAPIDS locator? I finally got my CAC yesterday and I set my AKO up the day before yesterday. What's the site that tells you the discounts? If you cant post it here can you PM it?

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Thanks for all of the good info Viceroy. One little thing to add from my experience, some people who have already been through RSP and moved on will tell you that it's extremely boring and some will even say it is pointless. Do not listen to them! RSP is what you make it. If you show up ready to go, stay engaged, and give it your all, you will have a lot of fun! I count down the days until my next RSP drill because I enjoy going to them so much.

Also, at the end of the day when the cadre have you clean up, do something. Even if there is nothing left to do, find something to do, don't just stand around. That's a good way to get the whole platoon smoked. Or at least it is with my platoon. And if you are sitting around doing nothing, use that time to study the rank structure, general orders, and whatever else. Even if there is down time, there is no down time! lol.

Thanks for all of the good info Viceroy. One little thing to add from my experience, some people who have already been through RSP and moved on will tell you that it's extremely boring and some will even say it is pointless. Do not listen to them! RSP is what you make it. If you show up ready to go, stay engaged, and give it your all, you will have a lot of fun! I count down the days until my next RSP drill because I enjoy going to them so much.

Also, at the end of the day when the cadre have you clean up, do something. Even if there is nothing left to do, find something to do, don't just stand around. That's a good way to get the whole platoon smoked. Or at least it is with my platoon. And if you are sitting around doing nothing, use that time to study the rank structure, general orders, and whatever else. Even if there is down time, there is no down time! lol.

I agree with you there. Make the most of every second. Not only will you benefit greatly from what you learn, time will also pass much faster. The harder your detachment works you, the better off you'll be down range. If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times--when it comes to preparation it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. The guys that were sham artists at BCT are always the ones that spend a lot of time giving 'don't do this' advice because they kick themselves for trying to be the 'unknown soldier' instead of taking advantage of their time learning everything they could while they were at BCT/AIT. I can't believe it--it seems like it was just yesterday I was rotting away at a MEPS waiting room. Now I'm shipping to Ft. Benning this coming Monday. My wife, family and the career has distracted me so much lately that I've slacked off on my training. But I'm double-timing it for the next three days. Resting Friday and drilling this weekend. HOOAH!!

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Salt and sugar are your enemies. There is no substitute for drinking water. Stop drinking sodas and fitness drinks now. Stop smoking now. Stop drinking now. You will be amazed how drastically your level of fitness will change once you start eating healthy, well-balanced, small meals. In fact, I live primarily on a liquid protein and mega vitamin and nutrient diet with a few solid meals sprinkled in here and there. When you completely eliminate junk from your diet, keep your digestive system flushed, and take in a healthy diet your endurance will increase substantially, you'll require less sleep, recover quicker from a strenuous workout, and make significant gains with each workout.

You should be careful about Hyponatremia, in severe cases you could have vomiting or nausea or even seizures or a coma, but less severe cases could leave you with fatigue, appetite loss, muscle weakness or cramps. You need to be sure to have enough electrolytes.

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The Warrior Ethos is part of the Soldier's Creed. This is the Soldier's Creed with the Warrior Ethos in bold:

I am an American Soldier.
I am a warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

I memorized it by watching YouTube videos over and over again saying it aloud as I watched. We were drilled on this at RSP, so make sure you know it before you show up.

You should be careful about Hyponatremia, in severe cases you could have vomiting or nausea or even seizures or a coma, but less severe cases could leave you with fatigue, appetite loss, muscle weakness or cramps. You need to be sure to have enough electrolytes.

This is definitely true. The worst part about Hyponatremia is that its symptoms mimic Dehydration symptoms, usually causing the casualty to drink more water, increasing the hyponatremic condition. Just like every ounce of water you sweat out needs to be replaced, so does the salt. Hyponatremia is less common than dehydration, but it is definitely a heat casualty risk that needs to be managed responsibly through proper education of troops, as well as proper monitoring of food intake.
I definitely wouldn't recommend anybody renounce salt or sugar, as both are extremely necessary parts of any diet. Sodas aren't great for you, but a sports drink with electrolytes is great for you after losing a lot of electrolytes and water through sweat.